Memory of former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney

The former Prime Minister of Canada Brian Mulroney leaves no one indifferent. Either we love and admire him deeply or we hate and despise him.

I have personally worked with Brian Mulroney in 1984. So I am one of those who admire and regard this person as a respectable man, generous and faithful in friendship.

I never hesitated to state my opinion and to those who sometimes asked me to explain my thinking, I always replied that I had the chance to meet and know many great characters and this allows me to compare. Of all these people, Brian seems like the most honest and most true of the whole group.

The truth is a concept whose definition varies from person to person it is impossible to judge if one does not compare the actions by common rules. Of all the men of power in the world of business and politics that I have known, many if not most are predators whose only pleasure is the capture of prey. In this sense, their friendship is false because they want to attract you and then crush you. I could name several persons that are still very active in the business community and who cause serious damage to their environment by being predators. Instead I will mention a businessman who is dead: Pierre Péladeau.

I worked with this person and we liked each other a lot but it was dangerous to work with him and he confessed this situation himself. The man said to me in confidence towards the end of his life: "I am a predator and sometimes I do not control it. I can be mean to my enemies but sometimes also with my friends ... The worst is that I do not know why? It's like a second nature "

Brian Mulroney is not a predator within the meaning of Pierre Péladeau and he is rather an idealist. He wanted to be an international leader in the american style and influence the world by his success as head of state.

I see great similarities between Brian and U.S. President Bill Clinton. This politician was one of the most effective during his presidency but also one of the most criticized and ridiculed. Yet with the benefit of hindsight, we realize that it was a better president than George Bush who has destroyed, economically, everything Clinton had done.

Brian Mulroney was a great Prime Minister and he had at heart the country. He managed to Canada as a sort of fellow academics and the goal was never his personal enrichment, but rather how making history by his accomplishments and innovations. Unfortunately in politics there is the perception, image and rumor. False rumors can help to create false reputations and potentially kill a character. This is the case of Brian Mulruney who was a victim of the media even though initially he was their greatest admirer. Brian read up to 12 major newspapers every day. A incredible consumer of journalistic information. It is these same media that have caused his downfall ...

It is interesting to note that Brian Mulroney's lawyer, Guy Pratte, has close ties with the situation of the former Prime Minister of Canada. Guy's father, Yves Pratte was a great lawyer and even Supreme Court Judge at the time of Pierre Trudeau (1975). However, he saw his reputation destroyed following a scandal when he was the president of Air Canada. A story for which he was fired from his job after a Commission of Inquiry which broke his career irreparably. Yves Pratte never recovery his former life after his firing from Air Canada. Guy admits in his biography that he often has to mind the memory of the sadness of his father whose life was destroyed by false accusations against him. In a sense, he probably thinks about his father when he defended Brian Mulroney.

In conclusion, I would say that whatever happens, Brian Mulroney will always have my admiration and that of all the leaders that I have come to know, he is the one who was most pleasant to work with.

The 1984 period was one of the best times of my life!

Bernard Bujold

http://www.lestudio1.com/MulroneyMemoires.html
http://www.canadianlawyermag.com/index.php/Pratte-a-porter.html
http://www.clintonfoundation.org/
http://www.lestudio1.com/EmpireQuebecor.html
Picture 1: Brian Mulroney (Ottawa - May 2009)

Picture 2: Bill Clinton

Picture 3: Guy Pratte (Ottawa)

Picture 4: Bernard Bujold (Ottawa September 1984)

Trahison and ther scandals (Guy Lafleur)

The scandals have never been so much in media than today, but the betrayal and lies always been a major part in everyday life of society, regardless of the period in time. The story of Judas who betrayed Jesus is probably the best known ...

Closer to home, the most shattering disappointment during the last month was without a doubt the one of Bernard Madoff. The style of his betrayal was surprising as well as incredible in the magnitude of its consequences.

On a more local scale, residents of Montreal could compare Zampino case to the one of Judas. An apostle (municipal counselor) betrays its Chief and accepts secret favors (travel on a yacht belonging to asupplier of the city). He claims he paid his expenses but there is an apparent conflict of interest. The mayor of Montreal, Gérald Tremblay, however, does not yield to the betrayal of his former political partner and he recently received a standing ovation from the delegates of the Association of Quebec economists during their annual congress. All the guests applauded the mayor and some have even said on the stand that they wanted him to be reelected. These are mainly journalists who want his resignation while the public seems to support the mayor, at least again his opponent in the election of the next November 1.

Another debate in the media which is connected to honesty is about the former hockey player Guy Lafleur who was convicted of lying to the Tribunal and who will receive his sentence on 18 June. Unlike the situation experienced by Mayor Tremblay, the journalists are the one who defend the sports figure and the citizens are the ones who want a severe punishment. The comments in the blogs are most unanimous: "This is not because he is a hockey star hockey that he is above the law."

The case of Guy Lafleur is similar to the one of the impresario Guy Cloutier because they are two big stars in their career but they have violated the law in their personal lives. Cloutier was charged to have sex with a underage girl (Nathalie Simard). This had upset the world of popular song as Guy Cloutier was a pillar of the music industry in Quebec and he was equally important and known as Guy Lafleur. Cloutier was regarded as the best manager of artist after René Angélil. Unlike the Lafleur case, very few people had taken positions publicly in favor of Cloutier as he had pleaded guilty and accepted a prison sentence. This reaction of his had cut short the debate, but if few people have stated it openly, several admit in private conversations that theyconsider Cloutier not entirely guilty and Nathalie Simard had its share of responsibility. Several, among his friends, would have wanted Cloutier explains its actions to the judge but he did not want to do it. Guy Lafleur acted differently as he even take action to prosecute the police for damage to his reputation because they have issued an warrant arrest against him. If Guy Cloutier had defended his action in front of the court, the judge might have decided differently but we will never know.

In the case of Guy Lafleur, the debate is very divided and it takes place on the public square. Some observers are deeply offended that we dare to attack the hockey player while others would like the judge to send himdirectly to jail ... The decision will be known next June.

You can add another person in the group of superstars who do not respect the law and this is the actor Keif Sutherland (Jack Bauer). Is an exceptional talent in one area may excuse illegal actions in another? That is the essence of the debate surrounding Guy Lafleur.

One thing is certain, our leaders and our stars are very rarely symbols of the truth! Someone once said: What we see in public represents only 10% truth and 90% is an interpretation as at the theater. In this sense, the true reality of life is behind the curtain ...

Bernard Bujold

www.LeStudio1.com
Link Ordre du Québec (Guy Lafleur)
Link Mayor of Montréal (Gérald Tremblay)

Link Letter of Guy Cloutier to his friends
Link to Jack Bauer (Keif Sutherland)

Photo 1: Guy Lafleur
Photo 2: Ville de Montréal
Photo 3: Gérald Tremblay, Guy Cloutier, Keif Sutherland et Bernard Madoff

Dan Brown is back!

The successful author Dan Brown will return to the forefront next September 15 when his new book: The Lost Symbol will be available in bookstores.

The effects in the world of literature will be very important for both merchants and for the career of the writer.

First, will Dan Brown be at the height of his colleagues JK Rowling and Stephenie Meyer and will he be able to deliver a best-selling better than Da Vinci Code. Rowling and Meyer have both managed to exceed the first volume of their series. They repeated their initial success and firmly dominated the best sellers list for several months, sometimes years. The Da Vinci Code book is without a doubt a success of modern literature with over 81 million copies sold, but the question which arose all observers: Does Dan Brown can repeat his success or was it a stroke of chance in his career?

The subject of his new book is about the brotherhood of the Freemasons and his secrecy. The action takes place in Washington and the character featured in Da Vinci Code, Robert Langdon, is back. An item to remember, the scenario would be play on a period of 12 consecutive hours. This type of canvas is very popular for thrillers and the formula was developed in the TV series 24H with Jack Bauer. Paulo Koelho also uses this formula in his latest book: The Winner stands alone.

Brown took 5 years to fine tune the search for The Lost Symbol but he was scheduled to deliver the book in 2005, which was not done.

Another upheaval surrounding the launch of the Dan Brown new book is the financial implications for the industry. The first printing is estimated at 5 million copies (in English) and several translations are planned. But will the operation be profitable? Already 6 months before the event, large libraries have begun to announce discounts between 30 and 40% if you buy a copy now. It is also anticipated that other discount will be offered at the launch. This approach did not appeal to small booksellers who can not offer reduced price because their profit margin is not on volume but on each unit.

Autumn promises to be the one of Dan Brown and we will live a global success or an abysmal failure ... Stay tuned!

Bernard Bujold www.LeStudio1.com/Magazine206
Lien site officiel Dan Brown
Lien site officiel J.K. Rowling

Lien site officiel Stephenie Meyer

Lien critique The New York Times

Canadian Centre for Architecture - 20 Years in 2009

The Canadian Center for Architecture (CCA) celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2009.
An open day was held during "20 hours" on Saturday May 4 and several activities were organized to involve the public.
The buildings of the Canadian Center for Architecture are to join the modern and the old. The CCA park is unique and has been fitted with giant sculptures which appear to meet the earth, the passage of time and the space in heaven. The construction of the park was a huge challenge because of the proximity of the Ville-Marie Highway and Montreal railroads. The architectural success of this park is to have managed to maintain calmness and beauty of space and isolate from the noise, the harsh urban and speed of the city, which are a fact of life all around.
One could qualify the CCA and its park as an oasis in the city ...
The park is really worth visiting and Bernard Bujold photographed this unique place in Montreal.
Link reportage photos Canadian Center of Architecture

Mention of Honour to Natasha Richardson - Dancing on the Lake

The editor of LeStudio1.com has chosen to dedicate the series of his favorite photos in career: "Dancing on the Lake", in tribute to the memory of Natasha Richardson.This series of 11 photographs was made in June 1994 before the Lake Mont Tremblant. Both dancers are children of Bernard Bujold, David (1 May 1982) and Stephanie (23 October 1983) and their dance represents the beauty, hope and life.

Natasha Richardson died on March 16 after a fall while skiing at Mont Tremblant.

Bernard Bujold

Link to pictures Dancing on the Lake

The modern crimes

The police in Quebec is very proud of their recent arrests of a hundred criminals belonging to motorcycle gangs like the Hells Angels. But in fact, this action is a very superficial cleaning and unfortunately more serious dangers are still at large.

One might compare the recent arrests to a scraping of the leaves or mowing grass. The outlaws arrested were very predictable because their activities are normally held in a specific sector. Simply identify the sector and to avoid it make you to be more or less safe. Police have not made their arrests following a "discovery" but rather by the preparation of legal proof.

The most dangerous criminals, however, are those who are unknown and whose activities are only detected after the event.

Those crimes are mainly of two kinds: those economic and terrorism. On the economic front, Bernard Madoff and Vincent Lacroix are among the most damaging because they are often put on a pedestal and it never occurs to us that they are the author of any wrongdoing. In terms of terrorism, the worst event was undoubtedly the September 11, 2001 but there have been several others since, some international in scope and other more localized. The shootings at Dawson or Columbine are not acts of terrorism as such but their unpredictability makes these events just as dangerous to society as the wars of religion or political conflicts. And what about crime as the murder in Rivière-Ouelle of a young political assistant by a resident of the village ? Less significant than a shooting spreebut just as incredible and dramatic.

The real challenge for police is to fight against all these unpredictable crimes. Is this possible? Fans of Jack Bauer knows that the fight against terrorism is a battle reaction rather than prevention. How to guard against an act which does not exist until his doing. The former director of aviation safety in Canada and former Police Chief of Montreal, Jacques Duchesneau, has confessed: terrorists have an edge. They are like a virus changing before the obstacles and you never know what direction they will attack. The authority must always try to play one move ahead.

A new book on military technology has also demonstrated that the protection of society is about to cross another border with the arrival of the war by remote robotics and computers. How to kill a soldier who is a robot? Reality has joined the science-fiction and it became possible for an army (friendly or enemy) to be composed of robots such as the famous white soldiers in Star War ... Some airplanes and helicopters from the U.S. Army are already remotely controlled at distance safely behind enemy lines.

There is only one solution against the war and crime and it is the instinct survival. The challenge has never been so high and difficult to win! That is why we must continue the battle because the victory is not there yet. As Jack Bauer would say, the enemy is not always the one we believed ...

Bernard Bujold www.LeStudio1.com

Photo 1: Don Corleone ( Le Parrain 1)

Photo 2: Couverture du livre Wired for War - Jack Bauer

Lien site du livre Wired for War
Lien site 24 - Jack Bauer

The future of the Media - The State of the News Media 2009

The future of the media belongs to the people!

It's a bit like at the time of Marie Antoinette, while the peasants had invaded the palace of Versailles! Starvation (economic crisis) was the trigger for the rebellion. Today, in terms of modern media, the economic crisis is also at the center of the revolution.

A few years ago, none of the major media did take seriously the Internet and everyone felt very solid behind the doors of the palace. LeStudio1.com is the example and when the project was started in 2005, very few large media groups did have a website with a few exceptions such as Le Devoir in Quebec. LeStudio1.com team had approached leaders of several media groups to try to collaborate and develop the territory. Most have responded that the Internet would not survive and that they were not interested in an association. At the level of journalists, it was the same reaction and the leaders of the Quebec Federation of professional journalists were the first (and rare) to ask to be removed from the mailing list of our Internet magazine... They saw the Internet as a game for amateurs!

Today in 2009, all media groups and journalists have jumped on board the Internet train, and they have developed similar sites to the one that we proposed and several professional journalists started individual blogs.
The emperors and their court understood now but is it too late for them?

The economic crisis has change the game plan of the mainstream media who had not expected that the economy would collapse and that the free Internet would appeal to citizens to the point of no return. The consequence is of course the closure of media and the dismissal of professional journalists. It's roughly the conclusion of the annual report: The State of the News Media 2009. From U.S. President Barack Obama to the singer Susan Boyle, the Internet has become their passeport to the glory and power, without being dependent of media groups and journalists.

As the artists from the Star Academy sing: "It's not finished, there is only the beginning ..."
Bernard Bujold - www.LeStudio1.com

LinkThe State of the News Media 2009
Link You Tube (song) Susan Boyle
Link You Tube (interview) Susan Boyle
Link The White House

Picture 1: Nicolas Sarkozy and Barack Obama in Strasbourg - France

(Picture by Pete Souza - The White House)

Picture 2: Susan Boyle

Picture 3: The State of the News Media 2009

The art of seduction

Barack Obama and his wife Michelle are now more popular than anyone anywhere in the world! No star, from Brad Pitt to Bono, or any other public figures, like Nicolas Sarkozy or the Dalai Lama, can compete with Obama.

Why this phenomenon? Barack Obama has still done nothing except to win the U.S. presidential election and even then it was a very divided because we must not forget that his opponents, both Hillary Clinton and John McCain, were very close. If we make the addition and we remove the 50% in favor of McCain and the 50% in favor of Hillary, it remains a total of 25% in favor Obama. In fact, this is what happens because if the U.S. President is considered a star anywhere in the world, he is less so in his own country and we see that more and more Americans are beginning to criticize their leader. It remains, however, that anywhere else on the planet, Barack Obama is like a god. You should have seen the G-20 to note that all other heads of state were seduced by the popularity of the first black U.S. president.

Charisma is never explainable, and Barack Obama is the proof. We can compare that situation with the one of Brian Mulroney and Mila in 1984. The Canadian couple was like two rock stars. Everywhere, where Brian and Mila were going , people gathered and they wanted to welcome the beautiful Mila and the dynamic Brian. The outcome of the election had confirmed this popularity and the Conservative Party won 212 districts on the 282 seats, an almost complete sweep across the country. I remember the moods in Ottawa when I was a communications assistant for Brian. People across the country admired us and they were all saying that we were lucky to be with a "winner" of the quality of Mulroney. He was the Barack Obama of the time! To understand the power of charisma and its effect on people, one can also look at the situation in the Catholic Church. Pope John Paul II was adored and was even nicknamed "JP2". His current successor, Benedict XVI is the opposite and his friction with the public only accelerate. For exemple: the declaration against condoms in Africa, the excommunication in Brazil and now the event of L'Aquila where some criticize his decision not to have visited the scene of the tragedy during the Easter holiday. The pope probably have very good reasons for all decisions, but the point is that the world is run by the charisma and people want to be inspired by leaders who demonstrate some sort of winning but more important, we must love and be seduced by them. The dividing line is sometimes very thin or even invisible.

The pilot in New York (Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger), the captain held hostage on the Indian Ocean (Richard Phillips), Ingrid Betancourt in Colombia, etc. Those are some of the people who have charisma, and often despite themselves. The conclusion: you cannot choose to be a leader. The fate, events and love choose us! Congratulations to the selected and good luck to the aspiring

Bernard Bujold - www.lestudio1.com

Lien site de la Maison Blanche
Lien photos Brian Mulroney

Lien Palais royal à Londres
Lien Vatican - Rome
Lien livre Blue Thunder
Lien photos de BO

Photo 1: Barack Obama, Elizabeth II et Michelle Obama;

Photo 2: Brian Mulroney et le livre Blue Thinder;

Photo 3: Pape Benoit XVI et Fontaine de l'Aquila;

Photo 4: Le chien BO et Barack Obama.

The firearms and the law!

The debate on firearms and violence focuses on the desire of Prime Minister Stephen Harper to scrap the gun registry. The real debate should not be there, but on finding ways to prevent the violence that it is present everywhere in the world.

I remember my adolescence in Gaspé Peninsula during 1970 while firearms were a simple tool that we could buy at the corner store or at Canadian Tire. Each family had one or more shotguns in their homes. In fact, guns were a deterrent to violence. The few bandits in the village did not come to stole in the homes of gun owners because they knew they would be greeted by a volley of lead. In addition, there were as a kind of moral code. A bandit could not buy a weapon because people would have denounced it the municipal authorities. There were, of course, occasional incidents but overall people managed the firearms pretty well.

Quietly, however, things have started changing and society became more violent. It's as if moral values were no longer to exist. What caused that change? Immigration and culture, urbanization, globalization and access to weapons smuggling, hard drugs, violence in movies and on television? Probably all these causes.

Once we were respecting the policeman and now, generally, we hate them. Why? Probably because the police themselves have ceased to act as the guardians of peace, but rather as bearers of power with an arsenal. Formerly, the police used rarely their weapons. They imposed their will with bargaining power and with ability to convince. It worked better than it work today…

A journalist from the Montreal daily The Gazette has tried the device simulator of the Montreal Police. It simulates electronically armed attacks where you play the role of a policemen who must respond. It is interesting to note the result. It is a losing situation all the way because neither of the two sides survive... (See video link below)

The gun registry is a failure but it does not mean we should stop to control the right to have firearms. The society has become too nasty, too limited and too individualistic. Nobody respects anyone ...

The return to peace may be possible with a return to the word. As stated by Ingrid Betancourt, the greatest power is that of words. She is herself evidence that one could survive a long stay in the Colombian jungle with only the power of her word to convince his jailers who were yet armed to the teeth.

We must find a way to restore respect for authority and peace. And as we know: "Respect is not given and one must deserves it ..." Currently, few people in our society deserves our admiration and our respect. Politicians are profiteers, bankers are dishonest police provocateurs, parents kill their children and finally the bandits are ruthless. This situation is probably the source of the problem.. Our society has lost all moral values!

In conclusion, we must also retain one element in the tragedies such as Rivière-Ouelle, Dawson College or Binghamton New York and it is that in each case, investigations showed that all the perpetrators of violence have been victims of ridicule, isolation and rejection from their neighborhood before they become violent. In other words, we are all a little responsible for what happens to our society. Bang! Bang! Bang!
Bernard Bujold

www.LeStudio1.com

Link to video from Montreal police

Photo 1: Stephen Harper au Stampede de Calgary

Photo 2: Bernard Bujold en Gaspésie (1974)

The Dream of the CBC

The CBC is part of everyday life of Canadians since the beginnings of radio in the country. Moreover, the CBC is the oldest broadcasting service in Canada and was created on 2 November 1936.

Personally, I am a user of this network since my adolescence in Gaspé (1960) while local television CHAU-TV was affiliated with Radio-Canada. The competition was not what it is today because at the time several television stations outside Montreal were affiliated with the two main networks in Quebec, which were Radio-Canada and Télé-Métropole.

It was the same situation with many small private radio stations.

Later, when I became a parliamentary correspondent at the National Assembly in Québec in 1977, all members of the Parliamentary Press Gallery greatly envied their colleagues at CBC. The most beautiful machines, the most beautiful offices and the most beautiful reporting cars . Not to mention the higher salaries ...

The situation has however begun to change in the 1980s when that the federal government decided to advocate a form of profit for its businesses. Several state societies such as Canada Post then adopted technics from the private sector management and that was also the case at CBC. However, we can say, in the case of CBC, that this company has ceased to be the best from the time she gave away to the private sector the task to produce several of its programs including soap operas. This strategy reduced investment in equipment but it also decreased the identity of the broadcaster.

The current budget cuts ($ 171 million on a total budget of $ 1.73 billion dollars from which 1,115 billion$ came from government funding in 2008 reduced to $ 1,052 billion$ in 2009) are not caused by Stephen Harper. He simply refused to advance money to fill a lack of money until the next budget. But it is clear that the Prime Minister is not a fan of the CBC.

He is not the only one and from Pierre E. Trudeau, to Brian Mulroney then and through Jean Chrétien, every Prime Minister has always wanted to trim the wings of the public broadcaster. Especially because the reputation of the CBC (Radio-Canada) in Montreal has always been associated with a certain sympathy toward the independence movement (PQ)...

Harper therefore push in a wide open door which lead to a liquidation of the CBC started by others. However, it is clear that the current federal government gives all indications of an intention to empty the house of its last furniture and to sell the property. Why keep a house that weighs and that one no longer uses? According to me, just another small push and the CBC

will be only a memory of its golden age.

The future of CBC will be decided within the next 5 years and the Internet will be the deciding factor as well as the climate of global economic crisis. On the technological front, the "cloud computing" with its low cost of use, is the new unknown communications tool and this will influence greatly the future of broadcasters, Radio-Canada as well as the other including Videotron.

May be someone would like to get a few cameras at a discount price... To be continued!

Bernard Bujold

www.LeStudio1.com

Lien Budget de Radio-Canada 2007-2008

Picture 1: Radio-Canada Montréal - 2009

Picture 2: Logos of Radio-Canada since its beginning:1. 1940-58 / 2. 1958-66 / 3. 1966-74 / 4. 1974-86 / 5. 1986-92 / 6. 1992 until today

Picture 3: Bernard Bujold speaker at CHAU-TV -1976